hopefully

adverb

hope·​ful·​ly ˈhōp-fə-lē 

1

: in a way that expresses desire with an expectation of fulfillment : in a hopeful manner

gazed up at us hopefully

2

: it is hoped : I hope : we hope

hopefully the rain will end soon

Can hopefully mean 'I hope'?: Usage Guide

In the 1960s the second sense of hopefully ("it is hoped"), which dates to the early 18th century and had been in fairly widespread use since at least the 1930s, underwent a surge in popularity. A surge of criticism followed in reaction, but the criticism took no account of the grammar of adverbs. Hopefully when used to mean "it is hoped" is a member of a class of adverbs known as disjuncts. Disjuncts serve as a means by which the author or speaker can comment directly to the reader or hearer usually on the content of the sentence to which they are attached. Many other adverbs (such as interestingly, frankly, clearly, luckily, unfortunately) are similarly used; most are so ordinary as to excite no comment or interest whatsoever. The "it is hoped" sense of hopefully is entirely standard.

Examples of hopefully in a Sentence

They gazed up at us hopefully.

Hopefully, things will get better soon.

Recent Examples on the Web

At some point — hopefully on Tuesday night or Wednesday during the day — Comedy Central and Paramount+ will confirm when Season 27, Episode 3 will air. —Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025

That is left to a small army of temporary public servants overseen by career officials within the Census Bureau, and these folks will hopefully recall that their responsibility is to this important constitutional mandate and not to Donald Trump. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2025

His team has now modified the editor to fit inside one virus, which will hopefully reduce the risks. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025

So hopefully that’s something that’s going to come together. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Video

Hopefully

We believe the popular usage of this word is correct

Kids Definition

hopefully

adverb

hope·​ful·​ly ˈhōp-fə-lē 

1

: in a hopeful manner

a dog looking hopefully for a tidbit

2

: I hope : we hope

hopefully it won't rain tomorrow